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Return of the activist

But can this new generation of activists avoid the lure of institutionalization that has apparently befallen the large mainstream NGOs? And will these new activists have any staying power? Some academics like Larry Jacobs, a politics professor at the University of Minnesota, see the Occupiers and others like them eventually succumbing to the enticements of professional activism. "A small number of people will see a career opportunity, the rest will fade back into the scenery," he told me. "To sustain something like this you need money and organization."